pleasant mediocrity (oddfellows, capitol hill)

I'm not sure what compelled us to select a restaurant that doesn't accept reservations for dinner (on a Friday evening, no less), but that's where we ended up last night. I have often walked by Oddfellows Café + Bar and been attracted to its large open space, energetic atmosphere, and menus featuring comfort-style food (think: braised short ribs and mac & cheese). A combination café, bar, and restaurant in the historic OddFellows Building (also home to The Tin Table, Century Ballroom, and Molly Moon's among others) -- how could you go wrong?

Oddfellows: 1525 10th Ave.

Oddfellows and I got off to a rocky start before we even arrived. Knowing that they don't take reservations for parties under six, I called on our way to find out what the wait time would be so we could adjust our dinner plans as needed. The conversation went something like this:
   Mr. Phone Guy: Oddfellows.
   Me: Hi! I'm wondering if you could tell me what the wait would be for three people coming
   in right now?
   Guy: We don't take reservations for parties under six.
   Me: Right, but could you tell me if there is a wait?
   Guy: Yes, there's a wait.
   Me: (pause) And how long would it be for us to get a table?
   Guy: Um, I don't know. It's not too bad.
   Me: Do you have an estimate for how many minutes?
   Guy: I don't know.. There aren't that many people.
   Me: But any guess as to how long the wait is?
   Guy: Uh.. 20 minutes? Just come on in.
   Me: Ok, thanks. Bye.

Now, I understand that maybe Mr. Phone Guy didn't know exactly how long the wait would be, but I was hoping for a little more information and a lot less cool-guy attitude when I called. When we arrived, we were told the wait was actually 40 minutes, but it ended up being right in the middle -- 30 minutes from arrival to being seated at our table.

We were led to a table along the side wall and towards the back of the restaurant, which was very nice and away from all the commotion of people entering and leaving or waiting for a table. There are actually a variety of different seating areas in Oddfellows, including small tables along the front windows of the restaurant (ideal during summer months when the large windows are open), tables sprinkled throughout the middle of the restaurant, more tables along the side of the restaurant, communal tables, and bar seating.

Warm and inviting place setting.

Our server greeted us promptly and offered to take drink orders. We decided to start with two cocktails: Ode to St. Anne (gin, lemon, crème de violette, bubbles) and The Pinyon (reposada tequila, irbenz, honey, lime). I pretty much love all drinks served in a squat, saucer-like champagne glass, and the Ode to St. Anne was no exception. The Pinyon was margarita-like, and if I was a fan of tequila, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more! While the drinks were tasty, both could have been garnished with a little more flair -- the lemon twist was rather sad looking just floating at the top of the Ode to St. Anne, and the lime wedge was carelessly perched on the rim of The Pinyon glass (it was immediately squeezed and thrown into the drink before the photo was taken).

Cocktails: Ode to St. Anne (left) and The Pinyon (right).

Our appetizer of black mission figs, prosciutto, and blue cheese arrived shortly after the cocktails, and we eagerly dove in. The figs were perfectly ripe and sweet, and the salty prosciutto and blue cheese complemented the figs well. There was a little drizzle of honey across the figs that gave it a nice, smooth finish; the honey also made the figs stick to the plate rather than my fork, but it was worth the 5-seconds of struggling. As you can see below, there was an abundance of prosciutto and not enough figs to portion out the dish, but I easily finished off the remainder of the prosciutto sans figs and cheese.

Appetizer: Figs, prosciutto, and blue cheese.

We ordered three entrées: Duck leg cassoulet, roasted free-range chicken, and local grass-fed NY strip steak. The cassoulet had the least amount of descriptors on the menu (literally, "duck leg cassoulet"), but I hope those ducks were given some space to roam like their feathered friends, the free-range chickens. Then again, maybe not because the duck was the least enjoyable out of the three meats.

The duck leg was mediocre at best -- a little bland and almost dry in places. Disappointing for such a tasty cut of meat, especially when I had anticipated a fall-aparty piece of meat as is typical in cassoulet. However, the rest of the dish was amazing. The white bean, bacon/pancetta, and carrot stew was deliciously seasoned and could have been excellent on its own. There were potentially other ingredients as well, but the lighting was so dim that I couldn't really make them out (and like I said, the menu was very nondescript).

Entrée: Duck leg cassoulet.

I didn't eat much of the other two entrées, but from what I did taste, both proteins were far superior to the duck. The chicken was nicely browned on the outside and moist on the inside, and the steak was tender and well-seasoned. Neither were knock-your-socks off good, but good enough to warrant ordering again. The farro was a little too al dente for my taste, but the chanterelles gave it a nice autumnal flavor. The fingerling potatoes were simple yet satisfying, but the THREE green beans splayed across the top seemed rather meager (although they did make this dish the most visually appealing of the three).

Entrée: Roasted free-range chicken with farro and chanterelles.

Entrée: Local grass-fed NY strip steak with fingerling potatoes and green beans.

Dinner at Oddfellows could not be complete without a side of their classic mac & cheese. It is brought out in an iron skillet, which gave the impression that it would be hot and fresh out of the oven. Well, it wasn't hot, but it was devoured nonetheless. It had a pronounced garlic flavor and crispy breadcrumb topping that made it stand out from other mac and cheese dishes typically found in restaurants. The addition of garlic wasn't my favorite for a "classic mac & cheese," but maybe they could just rename it "garlic mac & cheese" and then I'd know what to expect.

Side: Classic mac & cheese.

Speaking of misnomers, during dessert I found myself again thinking that Oddfellows has many dishes that are inappropriately named. When I think of a berry shortcake, I imagine a spongey or biscuit-like bread with berry juices soaked throughout. At Oddfellows, the biscuit is almost like a scone and imparts a bitter/sour aftertaste, and the berries appear to have been just poured. It is more like a berry biscuit sandwich layered with whipped cream than my idea of a shortcake. The chocolate pot de crème had a wonderful silky texture and excellent chocolate flavor, but it was pretty much just runny, chocolate pudding in a coffee mug with whipped cream on top. And why are all the desserts served with whipped cream? Does apple bread pudding really need whipped cream? The bread pudding, at least, most closely resembled its name.

Desserts (clockwise from top right): Chocolate pot de crème,
huckleberry shortcake, and apple bread pudding.

The bottom line: Nothing was terrible, but it lacked the heartiness and flavor that I had hoped for from such a delicious sounding menu. Oddfellows may be a decent place to stop by if you're in the area, but not something to go out of your way and wait in line to experience.

Chanel CC logo black ruffled pumps.

Shoe selection: Chanel CC logo black ruffled pumps. A classic silhouette updated with a patent toe and heel and ruffle detail across the top. The soft leather, flexible soles, and stretchy black trim allow this shoe to practically feel like butter on your feet.